All a Dream
by replica.of.bella
Summary: Bella has basked in the light of her fantasy love for too long... what happens when she wakes up and finds it was all a dream? Will she move on, or will she search the world for the love she lost? Rated T for future chapters. ExB, etc.
1. Cold Feet? Bella's POV

**Preface**

I took a long look in the mirror, trying to reassemble my facial features, attempting futilely to force them into a somewhat earnest expression. Hmm, no. Mixing terror and excitement together transformed me into a wild-eyed, hyperventilating, half-insane looking girl who, at that moment, was the least bit ready to get married. If this was what 'cold feet' was like, then I sympathized with the tittering, plastic girls on television who ran the wrong way down the aisle. I loved Edward, with all my heart, mind, soul, and whatever other spiritual components made up a person, but was I prepared to go on with this masquerade in front of all these people? The answer was a definite, NO.


	2. Cold Feet? Edward's POV

**Cold Feet?**

_Edward's POV_

I paced beyond the boundaries of the snow-white chapel. What had I done? I understood that Bella didn't wish to marry me, at least not for now. I knew (being the selfish creature that I am) she loved me in spite of her demands to stave off on becoming my wife, but I was suddenly struck with grief that I had forced my only love, my only reason for living, to commence into holy matrimony. True, I didn't want to delay in the slightest, yet if it meant saving my Bella from a painful and lie-filled day, then I would cancel this arrangement right away. I ran my hand through my unruly bronze hair, and wondered if I should just feign illness – which wouldn't be a totally unbelievable occurrence to the humans attending the wedding, considering the human food I'd eaten earlier (on a dare) and the paleness of my skin – and whisk my Bella away, change her, and get married when we were equals. My mind wandered back two weeks earlier…

_I lay next to my beautiful, soon-to-be bride in my… no, _our _king-sized golden bed, stroking her glossy locks as she drifted away into slumber. I sighed as she slowly slipped into unconsciousness, and waited for my favorite part of the evening: Bella's thoughts, being spoken aloud, unbeknownst to her. After only waiting for 5 minutes, it began. "Edward… take…take back…ring…" I started, jumping a little, making the bed shake. Did she just ask me to take back my mother's ring, her engagement ring? I got a hold on myself and concentrated. "Please… take it…take the ring, Edward!" If I could cry, this would be the time I'd do it. "I love you. I love you!" I relaxed slightly, and spontaneously responded to her unintended statement – "I love and adore you, my Bella." As if reacting to my words, she rolled over and faced me, still fast asleep. "Not…equal. Too many lies… equal, my angel." So _that's_ what she was trying to say. She wanted to be my equal before we got married. But what about the lies? I waited for another clue, but Bella stopped speaking, only mumbling incoherent slurs that I knew I would have to ask about in the morning._

I cringed at the memory. As soon as she had awakened that day, I confronted her about what she had said that night. And so commenced her straight-shooting argument against our immediate marriage. I soon found out that my suspicions were correct; Bella wanted me to change her, and to become my equal, before we were legally united. When I faltered, not at all sure what I should do, she broke down and sobbed, telling me that she couldn't stand lying about my inhumanness when she was not the same. We had embraced and snuggled together under the covers for the rest of the day, with her curled up against my chest, and with me lost far away in the recesses of my mind, pondering what was right and what was wrong.

"We shouldn't have come to Vegas at all. Damn!" I cursed myself for continuing with our wedding plans. Even if we were having the smallest of celebrations, with only Charlie, Renee, my family, Angela and Ben attending a 10-minute ceremony and an hour-long after-party, I knew this would break Bella. We had even decided on a miniscule church in Vegas, as I had suggested to her early in our engagement. I was so selfish, insisting on this when she wasn't ready. Forget Alice and her frivolous plans despite the minority of weddings we were about to have. Forget my yearning to take Bella as my wife right away. And, forget that my whole family and Bella's parents and friends had taken time and spent money to drag themselves all the way to southern California. I wasn't going through with this. I wasn't!

Just then I heard the music, Bella's lullaby, start up inside the chapel. I started to run in the direction of her mouthwatering scent, to run away with her while nobody was looking. Yet as soon as I found the doorway to her dressing room around back, two pairs of steely arms grabbed me from behind. I flipped around to see Emmet and Jasper, clad in fitted tuxedos, looking concernedly at me. I glared back, and Emmet smirked. "Cold feet, my brother? Don't worry… we can fix that." And, without any warning, they picked me up and lifted me up the back steps. I resisted, but the two of them combined were too much for me. I was shoved not-so-gently onto my feet and into the head of the church, where I was supposed to stand and greet my fearful and hesitant bride-to-be. My worst nightmare.


	3. Sealing Wax: Bella's POV

The room started to reel as I realized that I would surely perish if I kept this up – battling two consistent feelings, raging two opposing forces against one another like a conniving scientist experimenting with the unknown, trying to see which side would win. My immense, total, and complete adoration, infatuation with Edward was so strong, some days I thought it would win over the darker side of my heart, or so it seemed. But sometimes, when I dug down too deep, pushing away the curtains of an unending love, I saw the evil writhing inside me, squirming to be heard.

My head spun as I slumped down onto the gaudy floral-printed sofa that occupied the half-wall of my dressing room outside the church. This feeling, this unending twist in my stomach and tear in my heart would not go away. It was a thousand times worse than any feeling I had ever had while trying to choose Edward and Jacob at the same time. All pretenses of years past thrown away, I could not lie anymore. I was a terrible liar, and I couldn't do it. I couldn't pretend to any audience, however small, that I was ready for this. "_It's only marriage, if you can't stand to do this, how can you be changed?_" came the persistent, challenging voice in the back of my head. But it was impossible to push down this fear that was bubbling up from the soles of my feet to the ends of my perfectly curled hair.

For it wasn't only the gloom of lying about my fiancé, my best friend, and my soon-to-be new family. It wasn't the fact that I would have to fake my own death to convince my parents that I'd never see them again. Nor was the fear or the Volturi, Jake, the pack, the downs of being a newborn found in the roots of my terror. Finally, I made myself realize it. If I was too mentally, emotionally, and physically impaired to create lasting bonds with the love of my existence, then I had no existence. If I was incapable of forging permanent bonds with Edward, the whole reason for life, then life itself was meaningless – I had no hold on him, no means of bringing him back if he strayed away, no plan of action to hold him close to me forever.

By being unable to endure this simple celebration, I was unable to control life itself.

My eyesight started to blur and my ears were filling up with a soundproof sealant. My lips were melding together, closing my mouth off to the world forever. My body felt as if it was being covered in wax and left to dry. I panicked, attempting to draw in a breath. Nothing.

Just then, I felt a presence near me. It was Alice, I could tell by the way the being bounced around in preparations, apparently oblivious to my pain. I sensed the presence cease its jubilee and slowly head in my direction. "…Bella?" somehow made it through to my brain sensors. She must be speaking. I turned my attention towards the person I unconsciously knew was there. Alice's tinkling voice sounded unsure. "Bella! BELLA! What's wrong with you? CARLISLE!"

I wanted to shout out, to do anything to get out of my stupor. The presence started to fade. No. It needed to come back. It had to. If I could breathe, I would be hyperventilating. Suddenly I sensed three people enter the room. Their panicked voices sounded mute and muffled, but not as distant as before. "Bella, can you hear me? Isabella Marie Swan!" came a whimpering voice. "What's happening to her?"

"Esme, Alice – I think Bella may have lost herself in her mind – a mini-coma, you might say. Though I've never seen anything like it, I'm assuming it has to do with the gradual increase in terror and other such feelings over time. She may or may not come out of it in time, though this is definitely not permanent." My ears were definitely picking up more sound. A crack of light stabbed across my horizon as I heard soft weeping beside me. I felt cold hands on my arm. Another stream of light. The thick cover started to lift, and I gulped in a breath of fresh air as my jaw unhinged itself.

My lids opened to reveal Carlisle, Esme, and Alice, all crowded around me and trying to get a reaction out of my previously dormant body. I shook my head, looking around. "BELLA!" All three cried in unison. But before they could embrace me, three more figures banged through the already ajar doorway. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett bounded toward the sofa, ties and all. Edward rushed up to me, shoving everyone aside, having only eyes for me. I reached out to him, craving his touch to release the numbness of my mind. He curled up next to me, his silky black tuxedo scratching at the coarse fibers of the couch and my lacy dress.

"My dear, sweet Isabella. I'm here. We don't have to do this. Never, ever. I promise you, everything will be fine, I will change you, we'll be equals, and you will never be obligated to go through with this." My eyes burned furiously, my head throbbed, and my chest ached. I loved him so much. He lifted me up with one hand and blurred toward the back door – "Wait just one minute... WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" Edward spun around at a lightening speed, only to see Charlie at the doorway, white with shock and confusion. He seemed to swallow down a huge lump before forcing out one raspy sentence, "What…are…you?"


	4. IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE!

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

I'm not going to apologize for not updating in a long time like most Fan Fiction authors do. I really don't aim to be rude or mean by doing this, but I don't think it is right to dish out the "I'm so sorry's" and "My next chapter will be up soon's" when I've been juggling school, homework, two plays, a talent competition, forensics, tutoring, All County Chorus, concerts, and friends for the last month. But, I really do thank everyone for all the amazing reviews, and I do promise to get the next chapter out in about a day or so... it may not be so great, or it may be short, but it's better than nothing, plus it'll probably stimulate me to write.

So, keep on the lookout for the next chapters of "All a Dream," and "Bella's Revenge," - _COMING SOON!_


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